1. Field of the Invention
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government is currently developing a Space Station for launching in this present decade. This station will include various structures which are to be assembled in outer space either by human astronauts or by remotely-controlled robot devices. One of the principal structures of the Space Station is an elongated truss comprised of an assembly of tubular elements which are to be coupled to one another by a fastener system such as the system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,459. As disclosed in that patent, that particular system includes special end fittings on the truss members which are arranged to be respectively attached to so-called "node-point" fittings. These node-point fittings are hollow spherical shells with a number of spatially-disposed sockets into which the end fittings are inserted and then releasably locked. In this manner, by coupling the tubular members to selected sockets in the node-point fittings, these members can be progressively assembled as needed to construct an elongated truss of a predetermined configuration in outer space with a minimum of effort.
It will, however, be appreciated that as the truss is being progressively assembled, it will be necessary for the astronauts to travel increasingly-greater distances along the truss to transport additional truss members and other equipment to the outer end of the assembly. Moreover, once the truss has been completely assembled, the astronauts will still have to make periodic trips back and forth along the elongated truss.
Accordingly, the present invention pertains to a new and improved manually-operated transport vehicle which an astronaut can employ for traveling back and forth along an elongated truss assembly which has been positioned in outer space to transport equipment and materials between various locations along the truss assembly.
2. Background Art
Heretofore, extra-vehicular activities of astronauts in outer space have been carried out with propulsion systems of various types to move from one point to another. There has simply been no need for anything other than hand-held or back-pack propulsion devices to maneuver for short time periods and limited distances.